"Barber’s 1883 Vintage Reserve Cheddar, a mature farmhouse cheese from Britian’s longest operating cheddar family. For six generations, since 1833, the Barbers have made this cheddar on their Maryland farm in Ditcheat, Somerset. Barber’s cheddar is made from fresh milk from the family’s herd of grass-fed cows. Traditionally the cheese is made by “cheddaring”, hand-turning the curds to give the cheese exceptional body and character. According to their website, the Barber family and a cheese grading team taste the cheddars throughout the aging process to ensure that “only the very best leaves with the 1833 stamp.”Aged at least 24 months, this cheddar has refined notes of sweetness to balance out its tangy sharpness. Barber is perfect for enjoying with apples on cheese platters, sandwiches (especially grilled cheese ones) and adding to your favorite potato or noodle dishes."

Spicy Plum Chutney (purchased at Whole Foods) was the prefect blend of sweet and spicey to compliment the cheese selections, especially the Sartori Balsamic Bellavitano and the English Vintage Cheddar.

"Saint-andré is a high (~75%) milk-fat, triple crème cow's milk French cheese in a powdery white, bloomy skin of mold. Traditionally crafted in Coutances, in the Normandy region of northwestern France, the cheese is also made internationally from both raw and pasteurized milk. It has a soft buttery texture, tangy edible rind, and tastes like an intense version of Brie. Extra heavy cream is added to the cheese during manufacture, and the curing process last approximately 30 days. A wheel of Saint-André is smaller and shaped higher than the familiar flat wheel of Brie. It is sold all around the world.

The cheese is highly perishable and should be consumed within a week of its purchase. The fat content of Saint-andré is so exceptionally high it can make awhite wine taste sour and metallic: a crust of baguette and a light beer or simply a slice of pear are often suggested as better complements"

Sartori Balsamic Bellavitano ($14.99/lb at Whole Foods)-pasturized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, balsamic vinegar {Wisconsin, USA}"From Sartori Cheese in Wisconsin comes the award-winning Balsamic Bellavitano. Inspired by the flavors of classic hard European cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Aged Gouda, the Bellavitano is a wonderfully sweet and buttery cheese accentuated by its balsamic-rubbed rind. Hard enough to grate in place of Parm or Romano, and complex enough to enjoy all on its own, Balsamic Bellavitano is another example of great cheese made right here in America! Enjoy with a pinot noir or a bright chardonnay, on its own or wrapped in prosciutto!"

Humboldt Fog is a mold-ripened cheese with a central line of edible ash much like Morbier. The cheese ripens starting with the bloomy mold exterior, resulting in a core of fresh goat cheese surrounded by a runny shell. As the cheese matures, more of the originally crumbly core is converted to asoft-ripened texture. The bloomy mold and ash rind are edible but fairly tasteless. The cheese is creamy, light, and mildly acidic with a stronger flavor near the rind."

Saturday, March 3, 2012

This recipe for sour cream pound cake has been in my hand written recipe file since the early 1980s. I must confess I didn't know such cake existed until requested by one who passed through my life for a time.

Sour cream...I'm not a fan. As a young, country homemaker, I could not imagine a cake made with this ingredient. My pallet has developed extensively over the years. And, it all began with this cake.

The sweet, cracked, crunchy top of the sour cream pound cake is extraordinary. It's delicious! The pound cake shines with a hint of lemon and a soft texture.

This sour cream pound cake is delicious eaten alone; however, topped with fruit or jam or caramel or ice cream or chocolate sauce or-or-or.... would be delicious.

from www.coffeefacts.org
(maybe this recipe is cappuccino and not latte; it's good by either name)

Cappuccino

This blend is basically a mixture of 1/3 of espresso, another 1/3 steamed milk and the rest of the ingredients are frothed or foamed milk. It is known because of its thick layer of milk foam which is its significant identifier. Compared to its latte counterpart, this blend is quite stronger in terms of its taste. You could actually order two sub-types of this blend which are the wet or dry. Dry blends have more foam mixture rather than the steamed milk while wet blends are those with more milk than froth.

Latte

There are different foreign term for this blend specifically in French, German and Spanish which means it is likewise known and loved worldwide. This coffee type is often a great breakfast beverage. The recipes on how to make this blend include double shots of espresso and garnished with steamed milk and NOT foam or froth. This is actually a very filling drink due to the generous amount of milk in its serving. In some baristas or café, you would see froth or foam on top of the coffee which is only used for presentation sake. The usual artistic toppings for latte are the leaf or heart shape.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Do not underestimate this light and fluffy, spicy, gingery Gingerbread due to its simple appearance.

It looks plain and homey, you say.

I say it needs nothing more than an accompanying cup of hot tea.

Notice the dark square within the larger square of the bread. The top of the bread is crusty and chewy just removed from the oven. After resting for a day, the top crust of the Gingerbread become soft and a bit sticky, yet equally as delicious as the chewy version.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Cornbread--
I'm from the South. Every day, Mama made cornbread (cornmeal mix, buttermilk, 1egg, drops of water). For years, I didn't know cornbread other than Mama's cornbread existed. (I was devastated to find people adding sugar to cornbread!)

Those days are long past, and I seldom make cornbread (even though I DO have my cast iron skillet if needed.) However, taco soup needs cornbread for dippin'.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I'm enjoying a vacation day today - in the middle of the week-
The air is brisk - the sun is shining-
Later, I have to make the icing for the Thanksgiving cake - stress, stress, stress....later

But, just now, all I have to do is (remembering Paris) sip my Grand Earl Grey from Comptoirs Richard a Paris, listen to the Food Network folks discuss Thanksgiving -
And Enjoy my Butternut Squash Baked Oatmeal, dotted with butter and blueberries, and topped with pecan-brown sugar-butter crumble.

Update: Don't!! throw the spices away after straining them from the liquid. My spices have been sitting on the counter for a week; they add a whiff of fragrance to the fall air.

Update/Update: My chai concentrate did get cloudy after a day; I have read that the cloudiness is due to oil extractions from quality tea leaves. Adding boiling water will reduce the cloudiness. Equal parts chai concentrate and boiling water yields an enjoyable spicy hot tea.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

This hot chocolate is for the chocolate lover. The red-brown color confirms that this is not the water-thin, pre-packaged powder we Americans know as hot chocolate. The velvet smooth texture, and the slow, molten flow of the liquid across the thin china cup and onto the taste buds assures one that this cup of hot chocolate was made with premium ingredients resulting in premium satisfaction.

The original recipe yield states two servings. I divided the recipe in half, expecting to make one serving. I suggest that half the original recipe is a 'three-moderate serving portion' or a 'two extravagant serving portion.' After storing the left-over hot chocolate in a glass jar in the refrigerator overnight, I reheated it in the microwave stirring after 20 seconds; three 20 second cycles heated the hot chocolate nicely.

Do not skimp on quality ingredients. You will be rewarded. Do not shy away after reading the ingredient list and amaretto. Though not prominent in flavor, the amaretto seems to bind the overall flavor combination.

About Me

food photographer, office manager, weekend baker
At any time, I'm probably reading three books...one for fun, one about cooking, and one photography book.
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